Self Portrait Tuesday: All Of Me # 2
Posted on | February 14, 2006 | 33 Comments
When Bean was napping and the light was good I grabbed my camera and started making faces. Not my usual camera faces—but the ones I really make when I’m animated, or angry, or being silly. The ones that the muscles in my face revert to unconsciously—the expressions that I know the FEEL of, but not the look of.
It was fascinating to discover what I really look like, ALL OF ME. I laughed so hard going through these (unedited) photos. I kept saying to myself, “I look like that, when I’m doing that?”
The bottom right picture may have been my attempt at looking demur. I nearly peed my pants when I saw it. Is THIS is the look I’ve used for years to score countless men? How has it possibly worked? Later, I asked my husband about it. He laughed, then confirmed that YES, I do actually make those faces, quite often. Then he told me just how much he loves me. All of me. And I’m sure I made some sort of rediculous face.
The shutter clicks and a short second, or maybe two are captured. Moments are not meant to be frozen. They are nimble and fleeting, one always melting into the next organically and without pause. There is something remarkably unnatural about the ability to capture a scene, an expression, light, movement, suddenly and permanently on the page with a camera. For me it has become a double edged sword: with my camera I force myself to notice unique shots; to notice more; to pay attention to light and texture and context. But at the same time when I’m with my camera I’m not interacting directly with my environment—suddenly I have a buffer, a piece of equipment that makes it possible to remove myself somewhat from the immediacy of the moment.
It was interesting to turn this lens on myself—to see what kind of observation and objectivity it could bring.
Instead of analyzing each frame for the negative attributes as I am prone to do, I allowed myself to simply enjoy these. To be wildly entertained. MY LIPS DO SOME DAMN AMAZING THINGS, people (ergo second row, forth from the left).
The best thing about this activity was that it made me take myself lightly. I am so much more than a collection of snapshots—and seeing them made me realize this. People see my smile and tell me it is beautiful—not because it is perfect, but because it is full of life. I smile with my heart. Laugh with my eyes. Talk with my hands. A hundred expressions pass across my face in the span of a conversation, and judging from the few I captured here, they’re mostly ridiculous. But, when they’re stitched together into the fabric of the moment, they make me.
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33 Responses to “Self Portrait Tuesday: All Of Me # 2”
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I am Christina Rosalie
Hello. I'm so happy you've stopped by!
I am a multimedia storyteller, digital strategist, idea starter, stalker of wonder, finder of four leaf clovers, MFA graduate student, and mama of boys. My first book,
will be published by SKIRT! Books in September, 2012.
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February 14th, 2006 @ 1:17 am
It’s so funny how many snapshots of myself I normally choose to ignore, when I review a set. I am amazed at how plastic my face is throughout the day, and with digital photography I’ve only recently come to appreciate these gestural idiosyncracies. Simply put: I look like a dork most of the time
(but you look beautiful and fun! thanks for sharing your faces)
*s
February 14th, 2006 @ 3:45 am
Just what I needed to brighten up this grey morning! I’m not at all surprised that your face is as expressive as your writing, your art, your photography. You’re beautiful, silly and wonderful!
February 14th, 2006 @ 3:47 am
These are fantastic, it is truly amazing what faces we make and never see from others perspectives. I especially love the one in the top right corner.
February 14th, 2006 @ 7:04 am
Was it the face that launched a thousand ships or a thousand faces launched the ship (so he could get away from her)? No matter, I’d take more of these faces. Even then will they really show all of you? That is the beauty of it that your family enjoys daily, and we can now share in as well.
February 14th, 2006 @ 7:47 am
Thanks for this pictures! that’s funny and true! I like also your comment!
February 14th, 2006 @ 8:24 am
Christina—what an empowering activity! I loved seeing the raw, unedited, spontaneous side of you. I’ve read about it, and felt your spirit through your words, but seeing these images made you so much more real to me. I almost did a double take when I saw these this morning, as last night I was fiddling with the action setting on my camera…hold down the button and it takes a million frames really rapidly, and i photographed myself while singing a song. But, I am not yet at the place where I can broadcast my own ridiculously honest pictures to the world. Brava, Christina, brava!
February 14th, 2006 @ 9:01 am
I had that James Blunt, You’re Beautiful, song running through my head when I saw these…
February 14th, 2006 @ 9:17 am
Really…really liked this post!
I’d go see an exhibit of yours one of these days…and I say this in the positive rather than ‘if it happens’ because you are undoubtedly headed in that direction.
February 14th, 2006 @ 9:24 am
what a fun project! And what a beautiful you – so honest and brave!
February 14th, 2006 @ 9:30 am
The light is so pretty in these photos. Great SPT (again) and thank you for your words. The moment is fleeting; a photo shows only 1 nano-second in our lives and most of the time, it’s not natural like these photos are. I love all the goofy faces you can make ~ you must crack yourself and your family right on up!
February 14th, 2006 @ 10:22 am
I loved this. The pics are fabulous and so is your writing.
Yes, your lips do some damn amazing things.
February 14th, 2006 @ 10:22 am
i absolutely LOVE this!!!! what a great idea…i’m still WAY too shy to try something like that…but it ROCKS…thanks for sharing it…
happy vday~jill
February 14th, 2006 @ 10:48 am
I am loving your self-portraits. Loving them.
February 14th, 2006 @ 11:38 am
I love that you are showing us your funny, silly, crazy side -I knew I liked you! – and yes, your lips are remarkably flexible! I understand about the camera being a buffer – last night I was looking through some pictures with a friend and remarked, when we noticed we didn’t have many pictures from a certain event – “Sometimes I just want to be there, not recording the event.”
And Husband sometimes makes my own faces back at me, even my ‘mean face’. It always makes us laugh!
February 14th, 2006 @ 2:14 pm
this is one of the best SPT ever… love the variety of expressions and your accompanying thoughts.
February 14th, 2006 @ 2:55 pm
ha! these were awesome!!! you sure can make some silly, beautiful, crazy, wild, weird, gorgeous faces.
February 14th, 2006 @ 3:31 pm
Great post! and man!- you can do that sideways thing with your mouth- I always wanted to be able to do that!
Happy heart day to you and yours..
February 14th, 2006 @ 4:35 pm
I found this blog thanks to Ali E, and am so pleased I looked! What fabbo photos and and a truly inspiring post. Thanks for sharing!
Trace x
February 14th, 2006 @ 5:51 pm
You are too silly! I am also known for making very bizarre, Jim Carey like faces. I’m very impressed with demure too!
February 14th, 2006 @ 6:14 pm
Favorite shot: first one, upper left hand corner … you are a beauty.
February 14th, 2006 @ 6:22 pm
yeah!!! i love it!
February 14th, 2006 @ 8:02 pm
That is hilarious! Good for you to post and take such raw images of yourself. I would think the hardest part was thinking of things to crack up over!
I did a photographic series once of my best friend in high school making all kinds of funny faces. Then I colored parts of them in. It was really neat because it allowed me to focus on facial details and how that can change the feeling of a shot. Anyways, long time ago, but this reminded me of it.
February 14th, 2006 @ 11:44 pm
Wonderful!
February 15th, 2006 @ 1:32 am
FAN-freaking-TASTIC.
February 15th, 2006 @ 2:08 am
This is just amazing. Made me smile from ear to ear. Thank you for sharing all of these amazing faces…that make up this one beautiful person – you.
February 16th, 2006 @ 12:13 am
this is fabulous, christina… is this on flickr? I’d be adding notes all over the place… so much fantastic expression! it begs for captions!
February 16th, 2006 @ 12:59 am
Those are fun pictures! What a great idea.
February 16th, 2006 @ 1:11 am
love love love this!!!
February 16th, 2006 @ 12:55 pm
Christina, your face is SO expressive — exactly the kind of face movie casters are looking for. Also beautiful! This sereis amde me laugh out loud. Your lips do make incredible shapes. No wonder your husband loves you so tenderly and unconditionally — all of you comes out through your smile, eyes, whole face. And I can tell the rest of your body was involved with these expressions too. How could it not be? Thanks for posting these. Maybe it will give me the courage to do something similar. I am so unphotogenic!
I agree with what you wrote, too, about the camera and the act of clicking the shutter: But at the same time when I’m with my camera I’m not interacting directly with my environment—suddenly I have a buffer, a piece of equipment that makes it possible to remove myself somewhat from the immediacy of the moment. … although it sounds like you also spend at least some time interacting “directly” with your environment (i.e. one way is just looking with your eyes and absorbing it with your heart). You are right that it can be a double edged sword – we just have to be vigilant about observing ourselves, making sure we are not disconnected, but in fact are more deeply connected because we are seeing the world and experiencing the world as artists.
I hope that made sense. I haven’t had my coffee today.
Maureen
February 16th, 2006 @ 7:30 pm
Love these photos. And your demure look? How did it work?
It says.. I’m buzzed and I’m easy! How couldn’t it work!!
February 18th, 2006 @ 2:57 pm
This might be my favorite-ever self-portrait photo collage! How DO you make your lips do that?!
I have to say though: “demure” cracked me up. I’d be horrified to think what looks I might have thrown toward men back in the day…isn’t it amazing that they actually WORKED? HA!
February 25th, 2006 @ 1:42 pm
Brilliant. I just fell in love too. I just found your ‘blog today, and look forward to catching up and keeping up.
May I ask, how did you get yourself to un-self-consciously run through the range of emotions/expressions that you captured?
It would be fun to try this — it really does make a great portrait, says so much about you!
Cheers,
Kevin
February 28th, 2006 @ 1:49 am
Hi, I found your site through the BlogHer site and I find your work and words beautiful. I’ve got two small kids (2.5 and 1) and I know what it’s like to feel like your nursing for the upteenth time that day, believe me!
I love how you did this Tuesday self portrait and I am borrowing your idea for my self portrait tomorrow. I’ll link back to you (my inspiration!)
Thanks for putting this out there; it’s really cool.
Mary